Did the 2025 team overachieve a bit? Of course they did.
They got surprise contributions from guys like Lukes, Clement, Straw, and Heineman during the regular season. Defensively, they were rock solid and arguably the best defensive team in baseball. That simply hasn’t carried over this season.
Kirk was also at his offensive best over 162 games, which helped a ton. Springer had a monster bounce-back season, Vladdy wasn’t awful, and they still had Bo producing at a solid level. Pitching-wise, the rotation stayed healthy and did its job. A lot went right.
The 2026 team, on the other hand, has obviously been a disappointment. The early injuries didn’t help, but the bigger issue is that too many key players have taken a step back.
Vladdy has been awful. Kirk has looked more like the 2023/2024 version offensively. Springer has been a disaster. Straw and Heineman (when here) haven’t been as impactful. Clement has held his own with the bat, but defensively he hasn’t been as sharp. Lukes had a slow start but has at least turned things around, which is encouraging.
Missing Barger and his 25–30 HR power has hurt. Varsho’s power disappearing has also been a problem. This lineup just doesn’t have enough thump when the core bats aren’t producing.
On the pitching side, the starters haven’t gone deep enough into games. Gausman, Bieber, and Yesavage have all been disappointing relative to expectations, and that has put too much pressure on the bullpen again.
Is this all Atkins’ fault? No, not entirely. A lot of this is on the players, especially Vladdy. I actually thought Atkins had a strong offseason. He signed the best starter on the market, who might end up being the AL Cy Young winner, added Okamoto, and strengthened the bullpen with Rogers.
At some point, the players have to perform. The front office can be criticized for certain things, but this season’s disappointment is largely because the core players who were supposed to carry this team simply haven’t done enough.